How do you handle the urge to snack?

I usually only want to snack during my monthly...and lately it's been carrots with dijon mustard or 27 cheezits (haha...150 calories!) or a sugar free popcicle.

Sometimes, you just gotta have something. I'd rather have something healthy than deprive myself and then binge of every bad thing I can think of.

Good luck!

i still snack, i just try to find lower calorie snack food. it also helps if i find snacks that take a long time to eat. popcorn is a good bet -- especially the 100 calorie, individual sized bags.

Or just airpop some popcorn...those micowaved bags are no bueno for our health.

I also am a constant snacker--I've discovered that I am so uncomfortable if I'm not "full". What I've latched onto is making myself a cup of hot tea (and I got a "diet" tea) and then telling myself if I still want something after I've made and drank the tea, I can have it, but usually by that time I've gotten involved with something else or decided that I'm not that hungry after all.
Another thing I've done is to save something yummy to eat after my son has gone to bed (like you, that's my unwind time). I've latched onto Nature Valley Oats & Dark Chocolate Granola Bars--certainly not the healthiest thing on the planet, but there's no HFCS and it's made with whole grains and it's only 160 cals for 2 bars. But I've found that it satisfies my sweet tooth, is filling and I don't feel terrible about eating it.
Anyway--good luck finding your own solutions--keep trying different things. Congratulations on making that decision to take care of yourself--it's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, at least for me.

Water and willpower. I keep all of my healthy snacks for during the days in my drawer at my desk and I often find myself starting to turn and reach for it at the slightest urge. So I just stop myself, and grab my water bottle and take a big ole swig from that instead.

Also, chewing gum can help. It stimulates the tastebuds and salivory glands so it can help curb cravings and you also would have to throw out the gum everytime you wanted to snack on something, so it makes you consciously think about what you're about to put in your mouth.

I still snack I just try to choose healthier options

I suck on a cinnamon stick....yeas the bark of a tree....like a beaver LOL but it keep my mouth buzy and cinnamon is really good for your health and for losing weight

I stick to the little cuties. The small oranges that are in season this time of year! They are awesome!

My trick - clean your teeth (toothpaste makes everything taste bad straight after) then have a big drink of water. if you're still hungry after the toothpaste taste goes (30 minutes) then eat something (healthy is preferably).

Here's my epiphany:

Your body is like a car. It has certain functions to perform and needs a handful of PARTICULAR fuels to do so. These fuels are protein, fiber, complex carbs and vitamins/minerals.

When fuel is running low, your body says "I'm hungry". If you feed it "food" that doesn't contain these "fuels", in a very brief time it will ask you to feed it again because it didn't get what it needs.

Translation - 100 cal "fluff" like popcorn and diet bars is not fuel. It just pretends to be food until your body, a half hour later, realizes it did not really get what it needed. And you'll be hungry again.

When you eat the right stuff (veggies, fruits, lean protein, fiber goodess) your body DIRECTLY gets the right fuel it needs so it stops telling you its hungry all the time and you don't feel the need to keep eating (and snacking).

That's the big ol' secret! Cut out the manmade, processed garbage and put the food the Earth had in the first place into your body.

i either brush my teeth, or I grab a cup of frazoen blueberries and a cup of greek yogurt and get my snack on!

I sit and feel like a heroin addict

I sit and feel like a heroin addict

lol

Now, keep in mind that I'm laughing because I know exactly what you mean. It will get better, I promise. And, if possible, figuring out exactly what your brain/tastebuds are fiending for and satiate it. Either with a cheat in order to have the actual full item or by challenging yourself to find a lower calorie/healthier way to calm the urge. I always liked the latter, because it not only calms the immediate craving but it gives you an option for future cravings as well.

But stay strong, stay with it, remember your ultimate goal and know that you've always got everyone here for support!

I read somewhere that you should chew Spearmint gum, as the taste of Spearmint goes with NOTHING, and helps your cravings go away. Works for me!

Its just gum in general for me!! It really helps or brush my teeth nothing tastes good after that

I once heard Oprah say, that feeling of hunger in your stomach late at night is when your body starts eating the fat!!!! Something to think about before reaching for a snack!!!